Scratch The Sky
by Aiko Rin Sayuri
Summary: Aerrow is Atmos' biggest asset and the Cyclonian's greatest annoyance. If only he were out the way; then the Cyclonians would have a complete run of Atmos...
1. Don't be afraid of the Dark

**Ahh… I do love the storm hawks… Ever since I was a child :) Here's to trying something different.**

**For my best friend, Adelaide. **

**I do not own the Storm Hawks.**

* * *

_It was dark and he couldn't see. Nor did he want to see. Because there was nothing to see._

_There was no sound; just him suspended in an empty shell of darkness. Suffocating. He had to keep looking, keep conscious, though he had long forgotten what he was supposed to be looking for. In despair he gave up, and then he was falling, falling through the darkness._

* * *

Aerrow woke up with a gasp. Radarr, who was curled up at the foot of his bed, grumbled, annoyed at being so rudely awakened and went back to sleep.

_What… the hell… was… that…_

He knew the answer of course. Plagued by nightmares constantly, though 'nightmares' was a little inaccurate. It was the same nightmare, recurring over and over again.

After the first few nights, he'd trained himself not to scream when he woke up.

Aerrow studied the clock, staring at it before the numbers made sense to his sleep-deprived brain. It was four in the morning. He could hear Junko's snores in the cabin next to his and concentrated on the ticking of the clock, trying to soothe himself back to sleep; to no avail.

He rolled off his bunk and padded lightly towards the window. It was a clear night; Aerrow could see the stars but it was also dark. And it reminded him of _that_ dark. The dark which was terrifyingly empty of everything.

He shuddered as he remembered the dream. What could it have meant? He'd been having the same dream ever since Carver's attempt to murder him, not consistent at first, but after a while filling every single dream.

The sky was streaked with pink and orange; the sun would be rising soon. Aerrow shivered though it was not cold, he felt as if there was something…

A shadow whipped quickly out of sight in the corner of his eye. Instantly on high alert, Aerrow reached for his blades. He slipped out of his room and down the corridor, into the hangar bay. There was no one there. The door slid shut without warning.

* * *

"Master Cyclonis."

"The Dark Ace. Well. Did you complete it?"

"No, Master Cyclonis. I am deeply sorry."

The young woman's smile widened.

"It matters not; the Nightcrawlers can follow them to Terra Atmosia where there will be a little surprise waiting for their sky knight. Count on it, Dark Ace, Aerrow will not elude the Nightcrawlers."

The Dark Ace fidgeted slightly.

"Your highness, will I…"

"Once I have finished with him, Aerrow will be yours to do as you wish."

"Thank you, master."

* * *

"Aerrow?"

The sky knight lifted his head and looked at Piper tiredly.

"Are you OK? You seem a bit… out of it…"

She trailed off, knowing that Aerrow would deny what she'd just said. She put a hand on his arm. Why don't you go and rest for a bit? I can take care of things for a while."

Aerrow blinked and shook himself.

"No, it's fine, I just didn't sleep very well last night." The moment the words left his mouth, Piper threw him a scrutinizing look.

"Mindworms cause insomnia," began Stork in a knowing voice.

"Dude… You don't really think that Aerrow has mindworms," snorted Finn. He laughed and fell off the chair he was lounging on, onto Radarr.

"I don't think it; I _know _it. You should be tested." Stork turned back to the helm, pointedly ignoring the yells coming from Finn as a furious Radarr attacked him.

"Even if it is mindworms, what's the worst that could happen? Like today, now." Aerrow put on his classic grin despite the headache which was consuming him. Stork examined the ship's radio.

"What about the fifty two distress calls coming from Terra Atmosia and sky knight squadrons?"

"Oh man… I was gonna suggest we all go to Tropica for a surfing break!" Finn moaned as he drunkenly wobbled towards the helm; the chair had hit him on the head.

"What is it? The Dark Ace? Ravess, Snipe or Master Cyclonis?" Aerrow forced himself to concentrate on the situation though his mind kept wandering.

"I don't know. None of the messages say…"

Piper threw a map onto the table and studied it carefully.

"Stork, go forty three degrees north, then bypass Terra Blusterier on our way to Atmosia. If we increase our speed by sixty seven percent, we can be there in three hours."

"Piper, if we go that quickly for that length of time, the Condor will probably overheat," Stork said with a look of morbid happiness on his face. "In which case we would fall into the wastelands and-"

"Stork, just go!"

Aerrow turned and walked briskly out the door.

"Aerrow, wait up!"

Piper sprinted after him into the corridor. She put her hand on his arm again.

"I know you're tired…"she held up a finger as the sky knight began to protest. "…but don't push yourself too far. That's when accidents happen and I don't think any of us could do without you…" Piper blushed, then quickly added: "Just be careful. Sky knights are disappearing and if the Cyclonians are targeting anyone, it'll be you."

Aerrow nodded, then pulled away and ran into his cabin. He haphazardly pulled on his armour, dashed for the door, promptly tripped over Radarr and they both landed in a heap.

"Oops. Sorry Radarr." Aerrow grinned then scratched his co-pilot behind the ears to which Radarr responded happily. "Come on, we've got work to do."

* * *

The Nightcrawler waited until Master Cyclonis had turned to face him, then kneeled on the ground with his head lowered.

"Master Cyclonis, we have found the sky knight and his squadron. They have fallen for the distress signals."

"Good. By this time tomorrow, I want Aerrow here, in Cyclonia, alive."

"But we have also caught a few extra squadrons."

"Use them as bait. And then? Well, I don't really care what happens to them then."

"And what of Carver, master?"

"Tell him that it is time."

She smiled as the Nightcrawler bowed and disappeared into the long winding corridors of her castle.

* * *

**Wow. This will be... tough…**

**Aiko Rin Sayuri x**


	2. Where Sky Knights Fear to Tread

**Thank you to all my reviewers:**

**ILOVEKH, starskulls, littlebird4 and Illusions of Space.**

**This chapter is for you :D x**

* * *

"Aerrow, we've just had another transmission from Terra Atmosia's high security stockade."

Said sky knight stifled a groan and lifted his head out of his hands where he'd been resting it for the past half hour.

"What happened?"

"Carver's escaped."

"What?"

"Carver. Has. Escaped."

"I heard you the first time… but… how?"

Piper looked glumly out of the open hangar door. "That's the problem; we don't know. And it wasn't like last time when Carver…" She bit her lip, cringing at the memory of when carver had joined them and tried to kill Aerrow.

"Used a fake hypnosis crystal?" finished Aerrow gently.

Piper nodded. "Aerrow, promise me that you'll be careful. Please don't do anything rash. Carver's out there to get you. So are the Dark Ace and Master Cyclonis."

She leaned in close; so close that Aerrow could almost count her lashes.

"Uh… And you too… stay safe…I don't want anything to happen to you either." Aerrow blushed. "Or the squadron." He finished somewhat lamely.

Piper smiled, and then looked away suddenly. "Look, Aerrow, there's something I want to tell you… You're dense," Piper snorted.

"What?" Aerrow started, completely nonplussed by this change of events.

"You're a sky knight, you're very intuitive, brave, selfless, but it also makes you dense."

"Piper… I…" Aerrow had no idea what Piper was talking about.

"I knew that you wouldn't get it… But when… Look, let's just make it easier; I…"

"Has anyone seen my weapon?" Finn burst into the hangar bay, causing the two to spring apart.

"Finn, it's next to your skimmer."

"Oh right, thanks."

To Piper's annoyance, Finn sat down and began to polish his crossbow lovingly, completely oblivious to the awkwardness radiating off his teammates.

"Finn, don't you have anything else to do before we land?"

"Nope, the Finnster's all set. Chika cha!" Finn dropped his crossbow as he did his trademark pistol fingers. "Ah… My crossbow!" He dived beneath his skimmer to retrieve it.

"Anyway, Piper, what were you going to tell me?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Of course it…"

"I said that it doesn't matter! OK?" Piper stormed from the room shouting something which sounded suspiciously like 'dense'.

"Dude, what's with her?" Finn asked, perplexed.

Aerrow shrugged and turned away to hide his annoyance at Finn for coming in before Piper could tell him.

* * *

"Carver to Cyclonia."

Cyclonis smiled as the transmitter buzzed to life.

"Carver," she purred, "I trust that everything is in order."

"Yes, master. That is correct."

"Let there be no mistakes, Carver. If you fail, there will be dire consequences." Her voice hardened. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, master."

"Go. Bring me Sky Knight Aerrow." Cyclonis smiled into the darkness as Carver disconnected. "Dark Ace."

The man stepped forward. "Yes, Master Cyclonis."

"Know this well. You are on your last leg; if Carver proves to be the weaker, then kill him and bring me the sky knight yourself. But if Carver is the one to return, then you must die. I have no room for weak warriors by my side."

The Dark Ace bowed to hide his shiver.

Her smile widened, like that you would find on a snake appearing to be benign.

* * *

The first trap had been accidentally uncovered by Junko. The Wallop had been sincerely worried by his team mates' silence. Even Aerrow had not a positive word to say though they seemed to answer Junko civilly enough.

Finn and Piper (having got into yet _another _screaming match) glowered at each other; Piper's bad mood only enhanced from when Aerrow had tried to talk to her in front of _Finn_ of all people (honestly, Aerrow could be dense…) Aerrow was still quite stung at being called dense but mostly displeased that Finn had come in at such an inconvenient moment.

Junko wandered into a sprung net which instantly pinned him to a nearby tree as he was musing on the meaning of life and how meaningless it was without cuddly stuff.

"Er… Guys… Little help?"

He twisted impotently as he tried to punch through the net with his knucklebusters. Aerrow took a step forwards before noticing that the foliage under his feet had suddenly become suspiciously thick. Finn continued walking towards Junko and instantly fell into the pit which had been covered by a clever layer of leaves.

"ARRRRRRGH!"

Piper sighed. "Finn, that was the oldest trick in the book. You go _around_; not straight towards the trap that you can see." So saying she demonstrated. Aerrow flinched as there was a crack of a branch and a scream.

"Piper, you OK?"

"If I could just get…" Piper dangled from a tree by her ankle as the snare held her in place.

There was a cackle from the pit.

"Now who's the stupid one?"

"Finn!"

"What? I was just saying!"

"As soon as I get free… You are SO dead!"

Aerrow stiffened as he heard the bushes rustle behind him. He turned and moved to the right just as six throwing knives imbedded themselves in the tree trunk where his head had been just moments before.

* * *

**This was long overdue… What was Piper going to say to Aerrow? Ah... if you're asking me that, you're about as dense as Finn. ;)**

**Aiko Rin Sayuri x**


	3. Shattered Window

**Ahaha… Updating speedily…**

**DraggonnShaddww, thelittlebird4, starskulls, Mememe and Gyroscope, I will now offer you a chocolate chip cookie for reviewing :)**

* * *

"Hello, Aerrow, my old friend."

Carver stepped carefully out of the shadows, evading all the remaining traps.

Aerrow felt frozen as the rogue sky knight walked casually towards him, cornering him. "Hello, Carver." He was surprised that he sounded so calm, though Carver was _nothing _compared to the hundreds of talons he had downed at once or even just the Dark Ace by himself.

Radarr growled menacingly. Carver frowned down at him.

"Shut it you." He kicked out in Radarr's direction; a blow that he easily evaded.

"Oi! Leave him alone."

"Oh yes, that's right, I just needed to apprehend you. Nobody else, after all," Carver leaned in close, his breath smelt like alcohol, "You're the one who's ruined Master Cyclonis' plans many times…"

Aerrow pulled out his blades and examined them in a desperate attempt to appear casual. He didn't know what to do. From Carver's superior manner, it was clear that the traps he had set were crystal powered and therefore could not be destroyed by his energy blades. Even if he could defeat Carver, he could not force the rogue sky knight to do anything against his will. It was times like this that Aerrow cursed the oaths he had sworn before being knighted.

"OK… How about we deal."

"Sure thing, kiddo. Whatever you want."

"I challenge you for my friends' release."

Carver grinned.

Aerrow went on: "That involves all squadrons you've been holding captive, my squadron and any other resident of this Atmos."

"Perceptive aren't you?"

Aerrow shrugged then offered Carver a grin. Both the sky knights stood motionless then Carver's leg muscle tensed and they were locked in combat. It appeared that Aerrow had the upper hand at first; however, his chivalry and honour was useless against someone like Carver who would not have hesitated to use dirty tactics.

Aerrow landed winded as a blow finally caught him in the stomach and he retaliated with a quick backhand swipe which drew a line of red down Carver's face.

"You little…" Carver stopped to attempt to stem the flow of blood down his cheek. This was all the incentive Aerrow needed.

He sprung and flicked his blade so that it was pointing towards Carver's neck. To his surprise and chagrin, Carver did not appeared annoyed.

"Well done, you win. Been practicing?"

Aerrow allowed Carver to back away so that he could release his hostages. He reached into his pocket for the crystal while his other hand moved casually so that it was hidden from Aerrow's view. Piper could see what was going to happen. She opened her mouth to scream a warning but the air was knocked from her as the snare released her, sending her crashing to the ground. Finn managed to climb from the pit which had miraculously shrunk to a tiny pit.

No one else noticed the other crystal Carver was holding until he brought it front of them.

"Goodbye, Aerrow. I'll see you in Cyclonia."

Aerrow suddenly couldn't see; the glow of the crystal was so bright. He gasped as fireworks spread across his vision and he knew no more.

* * *

_Darkness. He couldn't see. So dark. He needed to keep going; keep looking…_

_For what?_

_He fell further into the darkness, the darkness which had no end and he cried out. His voice rebounded against walls which he could not see or feel._

_Seeing. Feeling. What did those words mean? Was there anything but this darkness? No… There wasn't…_

_So seeing, feeling… They had all been made up? There had been nothing beyond this darkness. Who was he? He was… A…_

_He'd forgotten his name… did it matter?_

"_Aerrow!"_

_Was that his name? He looked into the perpetual blackness. "Yes?" he wanted to call. "Are you talking to me?" he wanted to ask the unseen person. But his words were locked deep inside of him where he couldn't reach them._

* * *

Carver slumped the unconscious sky knight over his shoulder.

"You liar! You said you'd let us go!"

Finn took a step towards Carver before the rogue drew his blade.

"One more word, just one more step, and your beloved sky knight will have a little accident on the journey to Cyclonia," Carver breathed, his lips tightening into a smile.

The Storm Hawks watched helplessly as Carver mounted his skimmer.

"And just so you know… Sky knights don't lie." He chuckled, "I said I'd let you go, but I never said anything about him. Goodbye, Storm Hawks. I'll see you around."

He took off and the Storm Hawks were left with the shattered window of the nearby shop window which had been blasted by the crystal.

It was as if pieces of the sky had fallen onto the ground, sealing the end of their reign of the sky, along with their sky knight.

* * *

There was a grating noise as something hit the underneath of Carver's skimmer.

"What the-"

The Dark Ace stepped casually onto the skimmer as one might step onto a flat platform.

"Hello, Carver. I see that you have accomplished your goal."

"The Dark Ace." Carver smiled and relaxed. "Why are you here?"

"To check that you had not betrayed us." The Dark Ace drew his blade. "And to dispose of you." The Dark Ace smiled back as Carver shifted uncertainly.

"You can't… Master Cyclonis…"

"Requested me to take care of you." The Dark Ace thrust his blade into the rogue sky knight and laughed as the blood ran down the blade and dripped off the hilt.

The Cyclonian picked up Aerrow and stepped back onto his own skyride.

"No…"

"Oh yes, Carver. And just to make sure that you don't wreak your revenge…"

The Dark Ace destroyed the engine of the skyride.

"Goodbye, Carver."

The resounding boom of a skimmer marked the fall of yet another deceived into the wastelands to their death.

* * *

**Done! Just so you know, all the capital letters in my chapter titles are supposed to be like that (artistic design using words). Trust me, if it weren't supposed to be like that, it would have irked me so much by now.**


	4. CROSSFIRE, Ceasefire

**Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow :D**

**Whoohoo! Snowday today!**

**Thanks to thelittlebird4 and starskulls :3**

_Thinking _"Talking"

* * *

Piper sat hunched against the metal of the Condor balcony. The sunset mixed the clouds and the sky into a beautiful mass of streak on luscious streak of salmon pink and candlelight yellow.

_No wonder he loved it up here, _Piper thought. She corrected herself quickly. She didn't want to think of Aerrow in the past tense. She closed her eyes as she tried to comprehend the day's events and was struck by the swiftness of the day's events and was suddenly realised that she'd never spoken to him and they'd never made up after their argument.

_I assumed that he'd be back, just took his presence for granted,_ she thought bitterly.

She heard the shaft door open and Finn call out her name.

"Piper?"

She shuffled further into the shadows and kept silent so that he wouldn't see her. So that he wouldn't see her cry.

After what seemed like an age, the door closed and Piper let out the small choked sob she'd held back.

Something soft pressed against her arm and she looked down to see Radarr watching her anxiously.

"You miss him too, don't you, Radarr? You want Aerrow to be back too."

Radarr pricked his ears at Aerrow's name then whimpered. He wanted to know where Aerrow had gone. Why wasn't he back yet?

He allowed Piper to pick him up and cuddle him against her chest.

Junko found them an hour later, asleep, each comforted by the other's grief.

* * *

Aerrow woke up, his arms chained together above his head to the wall.

There was nothing but darkness though it was different to the darkness in his dream.

_How? Where?_

The door slid open.

"Good evening, Aerrow."

"Cyclonis." He narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"

The Dark Ace, who had been standing silently, albeit restlessly suddenly moved forwards and thrust a fist into Aerrow's stomach. Aerrow gasped and coughed.

"Don't answer back-" He drew his fist back to land another punch.

"The Dark Ace. That is enough."

"But master, he-"

"I said that it was enough. If you insist on destroying my collection then I will have to punish you. Hosts do not attack their guests."

The Dark Ace dropped his hand and moved further back into the shadows. Aerrow struggled to breathe; the ropes had prevented him from falling onto the ground but had meant that he had absorbed most of the impact.

"Well, Aerrow. I thought that your question was perfectly reasonable." She tilted his chin so that he looked up at her; her thumb and fingers locked in place around his face. Aerrow recoiled from her touch but Cyclonis' grip was surprisingly firm. She leaned in close so that her lips were almost touching his ear. Her breath tickled him as she spoke.

"How would you feel if I told you that you held a very _dear_ place in my heart?"

He shifted slightly.

"I'd say that you want to kill me."

Cyclonis drew away with a light laugh then sighed theoretically.

"You really are a lot denser than I expected. After all, you were the one to see past Carver, were you not?"

_Carver._ The sky knight's mocking grin was the last thing he had seen.

"Where is he?"

"Who?" Cyclonis held the air of a young child about to unwrap a particularly exciting present.

"Don't play dumb with me! What happened to Carver?"

"He was a little weak for my taste." Her grin widened. "I had him put down."

The words left Aerrow more shocked than the blow which the Dark Ace had delivered. He'd certainly disliked the traitor but wasn't sure how he should respond to the news of his death.

And then he was shouting. Even later, he wasn't sure why he was shouting or even who he was shouting to.

"WHY ARE YOU HERE? WHY DO YOU SERVE HER? YOU SAW WHAT SHE DID TO A LOYAL SUPPORTER! HE WANTED NOTHING BUT TO SERVER HER AND SHE-"

"The Dark Ace, please shut him up. We wouldn't want to wake up any of the other prisoners do we?"

_Other prisoners? But the prison was empty. Shout loud enough to…_

"He's shouting loud enough to wake the dead."

"With pleasure, Master Cyclonis."

He lunged forwards and punched Aerrow in the stomach again; effectively shutting him up. The Dark Ace grabbed a fistful of Aerrow's hair so that the younger man could not move.

"Listen well and learn quickly, Aerrow. We belong to Cyclonia; we are here because of our own free will. Don't _ever_ forget that."

Ravess shifted slightly and Snipe shuffled into the shadows uncomfortably. The Dark Ace released Aerrow to stand sentry in the shadows again.

"Before I was so rudely interrupted," purred Cyclonis as if nothing had happened, "I was about to tell you just how much you mean to me…"

Aerrow froze in shock._ Surely Cyclonis was not implying that…_

"As a great warrior. The Dark Ace tells me that with a little more training, you'd make and excellent Talon. Now, join me and I will reward you beyond your wildest dreams."

_Of course, _he thought bitterly, _building up her army was all she cared about._

Then out loud, with all the pride he could muster: "Sorry, Cyclonis. Not today."

Cyclonis flushed in rage.

"Fine. Know this well, _sky knight_," she spat the words like they were poison, "You've chosen the hard way. But I'll get you in the end; after all, Cyclonians are great at persuading people."

She swept out the room.

"Don't worry. I'll be back in a week to see if you have changed your mind," she called from the doorway. "Ravess, Snipe, go and prepare Aerrow's quarters for the next week. After all, we want him to be _comfortable_ do we not?"

"Yes master," they droned like the mindless slaves they had become.

The Dark Ace smiled as he passed Aerrow. There was nothing to be said now; after all, there would be plenty of time for that later.

"Good night, Aerrow."

He closed the door and Aerrow was left with nothing but the suffocating darkness and his thoughts.

* * *

**I really had issues with this chapter… I didn't like it…**

**I hope the next one will be better…**

**Aiko Rin Sayuri**


	5. To Break a Sky Knight

**Hello and welcome.**

**starskulls and thelittlebird4; you have reviewed every single chapter so far and I love you for it. Here is a line of hugs and kisses:**

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

**Thank you also to Mememe who has suddenly inspired me to do something I would not have included otherwise :D**

* * *

_It was the same dream as ever. The darkness; the emptiness. But then there was a light in the distance. He reached out to it, hungry for the light to wash over him but suddenly the light was fading._

"_No," he sobbed, "Don't go. I need…"_

"_Aerrow!"_

_She seemed familiar…_

"_Who…"_

"_Aerrow! I'm…"_

* * *

Cold water splashed over him, jolting him awake. Aerrow spluttered then sat up. The Dark Ace was leaning over him leering.

"Master Cyclonis wants you moved from this room. She needs it for other… purposes." He flashed a grin at the last word.

He pulled Aerrow roughly to his feet.

"Don't worry. We're not going to kill you… at least… not today. And when we do, we'll make sure that you'll have plenty of companions in the afterlife."

His grin widened. And that one smug smile; that one complacent gesture was enough to anger Aerrow so completely that he lost all rationality which he may have held onto.

"You wouldn't dare hurt them!" Aerrow lunged forwards, ready to fight, to rip the enemy in front of him with his bare hands.

"Oh but I will. You see, I, unlike you, am free and powerful. With Master Cyclonis' help and you out of the way, all of Atmos will kneel before me."

The Dark Ace grabbed Aerrow by his hair and forced the young sky knight to his knees.

"And once that is complete, you will be useless and you will be able to join your friends in wherever you think you go after death."

The Dark Ace laughed humourlessly.

"But for now, it is time to show you how to break a sky knight."

* * *

Stork steered the unusually quiet Condor around the Terra which had they had circled for thirteen hours, for want of a better route to take. The sky was devoid of life though the rain pattered relentlessly down on the windows. Occasional flashes of lightning passed too close for comfort but for the most part, the route was monotonous.

Piper had a map opened on the table and appeared to be studiously examining it, though Stork noticed that once in a while, her concentration would slip and she would gaze aimlessly out of the window. Finn was apparently still asleep though Stork wondered whether it was just an excuse to remain in his room. Junko had taken up the monotonous task of checking all the air vents and other various jobs. Radarr was yet to make an appearance.

The team was dead. There was no other word for it. Stork knew that they were all worried about their leader and even he himself had begun to feel anxious; albeit for Stork, personal preservation still ranked highest on his priority list.

"OK. I have a plan."

It was the first anyone had spoken since they had taken to circling the terra.

Junko and Stork both turned to look at Piper. She seemed tired but alert and possibly more determined than she had been since Aerrow's disappearance.

"We'll need Starling to help and possibly some unorthodox tactics."

She smiled for the first time in hours.

"In other words, as I said before, exactly our style."

* * *

The Dark Ace stopped suddenly and faced what seemed to be the wall. Aerrow squinted to see what was so special about it but could see nothing. He expected the wall to be a secret door in fact and was more than a little disappointed when they moved on.

"Why did we stop?"

The Dark Ace did not answer. He mentally made a note to inform his master of the weak point in the wall where the Storm Hawks had once destroyed before.

After a little longer, they came to a stop outside a battered looking door which looked as if it could be destroyed with just one push.

The Dark Ace cleared his throat.

"The Dark Ace, with express permission to enter Room 273 to drop off the priority prisoner."

"Enter."

The voice which answered was like the whisper of an ancient insect. Aerrow strained his ears to hear more but was met with silence. The Dark Ace pushed Aerrow roughly.

"Good luck, Aerrow. I will come and collect what's left of you."

He closed the door and Aerrow was left in absolute darkness.

Never had he been so alone yet he sensed that this darkness was different to the darkness in his dreams.

"Hello?"

His voice rebounded off the walls. There was no response. He licked his lips and tried again.

"Please may I have some light?"

Scarcely had he finished speaking when the light clicked on. It was not a modern crystal powered light, nor a fire based light. It filled the room with a harsh, brash brilliance which created the illusion of a wall-less prison; the light seemed to stretch further than the eye could see.

"Where am I?"

Again there was no response.

"I want you to tell me where I am!" he ordered.

The voice hissed through the chamber.

"Wherever you wish to be, young sky knight. My wish is your command."

"Then let me out!"

The silence filled the air like the humid wind of a summer night.

"Please. I want to see my squadron."

And then his squadron was there and he reached out to them. Piper laughed and held out her hand to him. Finn, Radarr, Junko, Stork… they were all there, unharmed. And he walked towards them until they were only a few metres apart.

"Piper?"

"We're all here, Aerrow. We're all fine."

The voice rang out again.

"The first hour is past. The second hour is to begin. Have you everything you wish for, sky knight?"

Aerrow turned apprehensively.

"Yes. I have everything I need."

There was no reply.

He turned back to face his squadron but they only watched him with expressions of horror on their faces.

"Guys, what's wrong?" He stepped towards them anxiously, before the screams began and he paused in shock.

* * *

**Major writer's block…**

**The next one will be more substantial (and filled with more tortures :D)**

**Aiko Rin Sayuri**


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